Aerosol type antistatic composition

ABSTRACT

AN AEROSOL COMPOSITION IN A PRESSURIZED CONTAINER FOR IMPARTING ANTISTATIC QUALITIES TO TEXTILES MADE OF NATURAL OR SYNTHETIC FIBERS CONTAINING A NONIONIC SURFACE ACTIVE AGENT AND A COMBINATION OF CORROSION INHIBITING MATERIALS.

United States Patent 3,686,120 AEROSOL TYPE ANTISTATIC COMPOSITION Joseph W. Creely, Middlesex, N .J., assignor to Baxter Laboratories, Inc., Morton Grove, 111. No Drawing. Filed Oct. 20, 1970, Ser. No. 82,502 Int. Cl. C091: 3/16, 3/30 US. Cl. 2528.8 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An aerosol composition in a pressurized container for imparting antistatic qualities to textiles made of natural or synthetic fibers containing a nonionic surface active agent and a combination of corrosion inhibiting materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known that textile materials, especially carpets, particularly those which are obtained from synthetic fiberforming hydrophobic polymers, have a marked tendency to acquire a charge of static electricity during low humidity conditions. As is known, the charge build up occurs on carpets when shod individuals walk across the carpets. Discharge occurs from the individual to grounded metal objects with considerable attendant discomfort.

It has been previously suggested that such a tendency may be reduced by treating the textile materials with certain agents derived from the reaction products of agents containing one or more reactive hydrogen atoms, e.g., certain fatty acids, alcohols, phenols, amines amides or mercaptans with varying amounts of an alkylene oxide, particularly ethylene oxide. Particularly effective have been the non-ionic surfactants trademarked as Pluronic of Wyandotte Chemicals Corporation. These are difunctional block-polymers terminating in primary hydroxyl groups with molecular weights ranging from about 1,000 to over 15,000. They are polyoxyalkylene derivatives of propylene glycol.

These nonionic surface active agents have been employed as water solutions. Such solutions have been commercially sprayed onto carpets for lasting antistatic activities. In such instances the solution is made up prior to use and the equipment employed is relatively impervious to corrosion, primarily due to the relative short exposure. However, the solutions of nonionic surface active agents when stored in pressurized containers for dispensing therefrom under the aegis of a propellent, the cans have undergone corrosion due to the ionized conditions in the water contained in the can. While the can is protected internally with a corrosion imprevious lining, there is generally no protection at the joints which are usually soldered with dissimilar metals. Galvanic action will occur between such soldered joints and the pin holes usually present to some degree in the lining of the cans. Also electrolyte differential occurs as water condenses on the surface of the can in the head space, thereby resulting in a different potential between the can portion of the head space and the remainder of the can.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an antistatic achieving coating composition adapted to be dispensed from an aerosol type can which includes a nonionic surfactant of the type discussed and disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,036,130. The nonionic surfactant is in a water medium and is solubilized therein. A germicidal agent is included in the medium. Two anti-corrosion agents are also included, namely, morpholine and an alkali metal nitrite such as sodium or potassium nitrite. The resulting composition containing the above mentioned ingredients is Ice packaged in an aerosol type container with nitrous oxide as the propellent. The package, as indicated, possesses good shelf life and is sold to the consumer for use, for instance, on carpets in the home in order to provide antistatic properties thereto.

Other nonionic surface active agents applicable to the present invention include those surface active compounds which contain an organic hydrophobic group and a hydrophilic group which is a reaction product of a solubilizing group such as carboxylate, hydroxyl, amido or amino with ethylene oxide or with the polyhydration product thereof, polyethylene glycol.

Examples of nonionic surface active agents which can be used are the condensation products of alkyl phenols with ethylene oxide, e.g., the reaction product of isooctyl phenol with about 6 to 30 ethylene oxide units; condensation products of higher fatty alcohols such as tridecyl alcohol with ethylene oxide; ethylene oxide addends of monoesters of hexahydric alcohols and inner ethers thereof such as sorbitan monolaurate, sorbital monooleate and mannitan monopalmitate, and the condensation products of polypropylene glycol with ethylene oxide.

As was stated, the formaldehyde is included as a germicidal agent. It is preferably employed as a 40% solution. Formaldehyde is particularly useful as no solid residue occurs when the liquid portions evaporate. A solid germicide tends to clog the valve of the aerosol can. A solubilized solid emanating from an aerosol can will produce an undesirable suspension of particulate materials as the liquids evaporate. The formaldehyde is used in a low quantity so that it is not offensive to the consumer, i.e., does not create an unpleasant odor.

The morpholine is included as it is effective as a corrosion inhibitor in the vaporous stage. Therefore, its effectiveness is excellent in the head space of the aerosol can above the liquid contents.

The alkali metal nitrite furnishes nitrite ions in the liquid which act at the metal interface to resist corrosion. The solution is thus kept noncorrosive, thereby increasing the shelf life of the packaged product.

The foregoing combination of corrosion inhibiting materials is uniquely adapted to the described aerosol composition having both a vapor phase and a liquid phase in the pressurized aerosol container with propellent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The preferred ingredients and ranges by percentage by weight of the composition are set forth below:

Balance water.

The preferred nonionic surfactant can be described as a composition corresponding to the following formula:

wherein R is the nucleus of the lower molecular weight reactive hydrogen compound having up to and including 6 carbon atoms, n has a value such that the Weight of the oxyethylene groups constitutes about 20 to 90 weight percent of the total oxyethylene-oxypropylene composition and m has a value such that the molecular weight of the oxypropylene chain is at least about 371 and up to about 25,000.

Specifically, the nonionic surfactant compositions of this invention have the most desirable combination properties for use as surfactants when the oxyethylene groups constitute about 25 to weight percent of the total oxyethylene-oxypropylene composition, and wherein the molecular weight of the oxypropylene chain is about 1,000

to 15,000, and compositions falling within these limitations are preferred. A product trademarked an Pluronic F68, and which can be made by methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,674,619, is illustrative of the preferred nonionic surfactant.

A specific formulation that has produced excellent results is as follows:

Percent by weight HO(C H O) (C H O H 11:80 weight percent of the total compound. m: 1,750 molecular weight.

Formaldehyde (40% aqueous sol.) 0.125 Morpholine 0.10 Sodium nitrite 0.10 Distilled water 94.675

The nonionic surfactant is dissolved in water without heating but with good mixing. The formaldehyde, morpholine and sodium nitrite are added in that order, stirred until dissolved and then filtered. The resultant mixture is a clear colorless liquid, sp. gr. 1.006, pH 8.6.

The mixed aqueous solution is packaged in 24 ounce aersol cans having a valve means. The cans are pressurized with nitrous oxide to 100 p.s.i.g. The cans after filling contain 22 ounces of liquid. After some standing the contents of the cans achieve an equilibrium of a pressure of 90 p.s.i.g. The cans employed are standard 300 x 709 tinplate aerosol cans having a phenolic over epon internal coating, duocom solder (99.5% tin, 0.5% silver) and precision 4 x .025 inverted body valves.

The aqueous solution of the present invention when dispensed from the pressurized can onto a rug in a uniform manner fabricated from nylon produced excellent results in that static electric charge build up did not occur even under very low humidity conditions. Furthermore, the inside of the can did not shown much evidence of corrosion even after many months, thereby proving that the corrosion inhibiting agents were efiective.

Similar excellent antistatic qualities are imparted to other synthetic fibers and to natural fibers such as silk and wool when sprayed with the aerosol composition of the present invention.

While there have been shown and described particular embodiments of the invention, it will be obivous to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and, therefore, it is aimed to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An antistatic achieving coating composition for synthetic resin textile materials being stored under pressure in an aerosol type can containing nitrous oxide as a pro pellent and consisting essentially of from about 1% to about 10% nonionic surfactant, from about 0.02% to about 0.5% formaldehyde, from about 0.02% to about 0.25% morpholine, from about 0.02% to about 0.25% alkali metal nitrite and the balance water, wherein said nonionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of compounds having the structure:

wherein R is the nucleus of the lower molecular weight reactive hydrogen compound having less than seven carbon atoms, 11 has a value such that the weight of the oxyethylene groups constitutes about 20 to 90 weight percent of the total oxyethylene-oxypropylene composition and m has a value such that the molecular weight of the oxypropylene chain is at least about 371 and up to about 25,000, and wherein said percentages are by weight of said composition. I

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein n has a value such that the weight of the oxyethylene groups constitutes about 25 to weight percent of the total oxyethyleneoxypropylene composition and m has a value such that the molecular weight of the oxypropylene chain is about 1,000 to 15,000.

3. The composition of claim 2 wherein the alkali metal nitrite is sodium nitrite.

4. The composition of claim 3 wherein the quantities of the ingredients are as follows given as percent by weight:

Nonionic surfactant 5 Formaldehyde (40% sol.) 0.125 Morpholine 0.10 Sodium nitrite 0.10 Water Balance References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,348,968 10/1967 Hulbert et al. 252-89 X 3,547,854 12/1970 Strengelbach et al. 252-305 X 3,282,776 11/1966 Kitzke et al 252-90 X 3,036,130 5/1962 Jackson et al. 25289 X 3,462,384 8/ 1969 Kokoszka et a1 252-8.6

HERBERT B. GUYNN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

117138.8 B, 139.5 C.Q.; 2528.9, 305 

